Damien Bernet

Analysis should serve as a warning for European media "According to Ampere Analysis...commercial broadcasters have seen an average 16 per cent decline in consumer engagement across Europe’s big five markets since 2016. The result is a decline of nearly €1 billion in the linear TV advertising market over the past decade. Despite these obstacles, commercial broadcasters have demonstrated adaptability by intensifying their focus on streaming strategies. However, their content spending budgets have reduced by 19 per cent since 2016, even as they continue substantial investments in film and TV content, totalling €8 billion in 2023." It's a familiar tale, especially for #publicservicebroadcasters that they need to make cuts, whether they are funded by licence fees, or by advertising, revenue is down. However, this is becoming existential, as it becomes a death spiral, especially funded by licence fees. Producing less content, more repeats makes the channels & platforms less valued, and contributes to the decline. It's very difficult to see where the money can come from if revenue is down, but as global #streamers fill the spaces previously occupied by #psb companies, younger generations attachment to the BBCs, the France Televisions etc will loosen, probably inevitably, but more so, if they're not coming out with varied content to excite a wide range of viewers. And yet, with the current market dynamics, there's a new opportunity for them: "The next few years present a strategic opportunity for broadcasters amidst a slowdown in spending by the major streaming services. Investment by global streamers in European sourced content is forecast to grow by 8 per cent year-on-year in 2025, compared to an average annual growth rate of 35 per cent between 2021 and 2024. Industry giants including Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery are scaling back streaming spend growth to ensure sustained profitability, paving the way for national broadcasters to capitalise on this shift." According to the research, "broadcasters must also prioritise the transition of audiences to streaming to ensure their long-term relevance. This involves investing in their VoD platforms, expanding content libraries, enhancing digital advertising capabilities, experimenting with content release strategies across linear and VoD, and tailoring content output to cater to younger demographics." The transition needs to be balanced, as I still believe in the value of #lineartv the success of #fastchannels shows that there is a desire for scheduled TV. The message is clear as per Niel Anderson of Ampere "prioritising long-term investment in both content and streaming capabilities is crucial for commercial broadcasters to maintain prominence in Europe’s cut-throat TV market." #television #tvindustry #europe #mediaindustry #broadcasting https://lnkd.in/e5HUDEgR

11

Every company founder has a story to tell, and in the case of the Connected TV Marketing Association, there’s quite a tale to tell. In ‘Beam Me Up, The Future of Smart TV - Battle for Control' (Ch 7), I share with readers the 7 year legal battle and fight to control the CTVMA during the global streaming wars. For those of you who don’t know, there were over a hundred people involved in our foundation, and many of whom are prominent, well known, leading industry figures in entertainment, business, broadcasting, advertising and finance, who will all receive special mentions in my upcoming book #StreamingWars 💣

5

🎉 It’s official! AFP, alongside #Dawex, partners with leading digital and media companies to launch the #EuropeanAudioDataSpace, Europe's first marketplace for digital audio and podcasts. #Trust is at the heart of the world of culture and information. #Traceability, #compliance and #security are essential pillars to create trust in the exchange of audio content and their information. With such a rich ecosystem creating so much information & audio content, being able to rely on a trusted #DataExchange environment is paramount. Dawex is extremely happy to bring its technology to the European Audio Data Space, to create a trusted digital environment for all audio content producers in Europe. 🎙 Read the press release  https://lnkd.in/dqz24ahQ #DataSpace #DataEcosystem #Media #AudioDataSpace #IndustryDataExchange

42

5 Comments

I couldn't agree more with Jason Kilar, CEO of WarnerMedia prior to the Discovery takeover: the #streaming business can be incredibly attractive for media companies and investors. Kilar recently quoted Charles Darwin, stating, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." We see this natural selection playing out in the #Media industry today. Some companies are adapting, while others are leaning back. To be clear: there is a path to growth, scale, and attractive margins for legacy media companies in streaming. But it requires leaving behind many old management practices and thinking and embracing change and innovation. #Strategy #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #MediaEconomics #Netflix #Leadership #Investing

140

6 Comments

TV BUNDLING: Here is a Paris 2024 themed TVC from Xfinity in the US. It socialises Xfinity's recently launched 'StreamSaver' bundle which for an additional USD $15 a month on top of any qualifying TV or internet plan (Equiv. of EUR €13.81, GBP £11.66, AUD $22.90 and ZAR R274.71) provides access to Peacock Premium with ads, Apple TV+ and Netflix Standard with ads. The offer is significant since these products, if purchased individually, would total USD $24.97 a month. The TVC also positions Xfinity TV as a way to 'Find your shows, all in one place' illustrating voice search with the command 'Show me Paris'. The USD $35 bundle proposed here is for a relatively basic 150Mbit home internet service, plus a free 5G phone on Xfinity mobile with one unlimited mobile line. Its clearly there to undermine the agressive competition of FWA home internet from T-Mobile at USD $50 per month. The 'unlimited' nature of Xfinity's mobile plan does require some clarification, with T&Cs referring to reduced speeds after a 30Gb mobile data cap is exceeded. This example captured from FOX in San Francisco, July 2024 #comcast #xfinity #xfinitymobile #streamsaver #xfinitystreamsaver #bundle #xfinityinternet #mobile #netflix #appletvplus #peacock #usa #tvcommercial #paris2024 #olympics

3

What a great week it's been catching up with old and new faces. There's been a lot of familiar chat recently about how conferences and networking events have become a bit stale, predictable and uninspiring... this week felt quite the opposite.   🎄 Kicking off with the fantastic Digital Leading Ladies aka #DLL and a (not premature…) Christmas lunch organised by the fantastic committee. An informal network born out of Whatsapp, keeping it real when it comes to advice, support, rants, ideas and laughs along the way. Good for the soul!   🤖 Into the inaugural FutureWeek AIMM conference talking all things AI. I had the pleasure of being on a panel with the awesome Lara Izlan (contrary to the title we did all think there's been great progress!) and whilst it was great learning more from the OGs in the space, it was insanely valuable having chats about the real projects we're all working on - sharing the oh too common challenges as well as the wins. I'm hugely excited about what we're doing in this space at Channel 4 Sales and the part we're playing to drive real benefits to our Sales teams and Customers.   📈 Lastly Videoweek Roadmap included a great panel of analysts on the future of Broadcast TV. Stats from Ampere Analysis supported the reality that: * there's been a huge increase in investment by UK broadcasters not only in in technology but also content * the high standards we set ourselves to technically deliver ad breaks is not to be underestimated when it comes to viewer experience (something the streamers are working towards in these early days) * the UK is in a unique position to have strong PSBs that play an increasingly important role in representing UK culture through content and creativity.   A lot going on, but also why this is such an interesting time to be working in TV/CTV/Streaming/enter-own-definition-at-your-peril...! Looking forward to FTV next month to do it all again! #DLL #CTV #FutureweekAIMM #AI #VWRoadmap24 #Video #Advertising #FutureofTVAdvertising #FTVAGlobal

58

1 Comment

Max rolls out with alliances "Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that Canal+ will offer its Max streaming service as part of a new bundle when it goes live on May 21. Max will also launch in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it will be known as HBO Max, as well as in Poland on June 11. In Belgium, subscribers will receive ‘early access’ before a full launch on July 1." "France is one of the territories where subscribers will benefit from a series of new distribution deals. “At launch in France, Max will be available to consumers through an unprecedented array of distribution partnerships across almost all the largest mobile, broadband, and pay-TV players,” Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) said in a statement." France is perhaps showing a roadmap for the Sky countries, UK, Germany and Italy for WBD. If the launch goes well, it will probably provide a roadmap for the launch of Max in these territories, and will also provide some security to its long term partner Sky, and help them grow together with the new #ottplatform rather than the Chapek approach under Disney of going it alone. "Canal+ subscribers who already take the Ciné Séries, Friends & Family, Intégrale and Rat+ packages will have Max added to their packages at no extra cost. It builds on an existing distribution deal between Canal and WBD and will give Max access to Canal’s platforms in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In Poland, all platform users will gain access to the TVN channel. HBO, HBO 2 and HBO 3 will be part of the Standard and Premium package offer." However, how much of the Ciné Séries for Canal+ subscribers will include Max content? How much will be shared across this alliance? If it is shared, then what's the USP? If it's not shared, and all HBO content goes to Max, then doesn't Canal+ or another #paytv platform who partners with WBD lose its own appeal and subscribers could just move directly to Max? It seems like its a very fine balancing act. #television #tv #canalplus #tvindustry #streamingplaftforms #streamingservices #streamingmedia #mediaindustry #warnerbrothers https://lnkd.in/dGP44SE6

4

Update from the PwC IAB UK 2023 Digital Adspend report….. UK podcast ad spend grew faster than any other digital format in 2023! Total UK podcast ad spend was £83m, up 23% yoy (£69m in 2022) 🚀 (Total digital ad spend grew 11% to £29.6bn) This is a phenomenal performance for podcasting and shows how strong the medium is and how it can genuinely perform for brands. And 2024 has started strongly, so expect a similar of not better performance this time next year! Adelicious #podcast #podcasting #digitaladspend #podcastadvertising

3

What does the Future of Commercial Broadcasting in Europe look like? This was the discussion from 6 major European broadcasters with two global streamers in Cannes 2 weeks ago. Key topics ranged from looking at the future of JICs and how traditional broadcasters are relying on them to innovate new measurement solutions; who are the friends and foes TV can work with in order to grow the pot; how should TV treat Google/YouTube - enemy, partner, distributor, tech solution? And, finally, has TV lost it's mojo? TV across most of Europe has lost very little in terms of eyeballs yet the industry has been on the back foot for the last few years and almost defensive, perhaps this needs to change? Massive thanks to the HUGE super panel courtesy of RTL AdAlliance Deborah Armstrong Tori Fernandes Ton Rozestraten Michel van der Voort Fabrice MOLLIER Frank Vogel ESTELLE BELMA ZEITOUN Maxime ANDRE Stephane Coruble Mark Rogers Kelly Liyakasa Jean-Baptiste Moggio Carine Jean-Jean Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gxxE3TMD

28

5 Comments

Warner Bros. Discovery confirms Max launch in 7 Asian markets in November 2024. Max streaming service will be available in 72 markets worldwide, with more to come in 2025. Company expands presence in Southeast Asia. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has revealed the long-awaited launch date for Max in a number of markets across Asia. The media company announced on Tuesday that the streaming service will go live in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong on November 19th. Warner Bros. Discovery said the platform will be offered in a range of plans. These include a lower-cost mobile-only tier targeted at Southeast Asia. Pricing details will vary by country and operator. WBD has long operated a standalone HBO Go streaming service in parts of East Asia, but the Max offering will replace that platform with both superior technology and a larger content library. Following earlier launches in North America, Latin America and Europe, the Southeast Asian launch brings Max's reach to 72 markets. Asia Pacific is the last major region where the service is not yet fully available. That's why WBD has big plans for the Asian market in 2025. The Asia Pacific video streaming market size was valued at USD 27.31 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 113.05 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 22.5% during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific video streaming market is growing at a faster rate due to factors such as increasing internet connectivity, mobile phones, and the need for video content. The market is highly concentrated, with major players such as Tencent Holdings Limited, Google LLC and Netflix Inc. accounting for a significant market share. Regulations aimed at protecting consumer rights and privacy may affect market dynamics, while the threat of product substitution and the level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) remain key factors shaping the competitive landscape. However, there are also challenges and restraints such as piracy and copyright infringement, high bandwidth and data consumption requirements, competition from traditional media channels, and regulatory uncertainties and privacy concerns. WBD is taking a big step that could bring them a lot of new viewers and subscribers. To compete with players like Netflix or Apple TV, they need to be proactive and forward-thinking. The Asian market is huge and can be very profitable, so there is no time to waste if they want to win this game. Let me know what you think in the comments. You can find a link to the full article in the first comment under this post. Follow my profile to stay up-to-date when it comes to industry news, technology updates, and market analysis. #SzymonKarbowski #StreamVX #videostreaming #WarnerBrosDiscovery #Max #AsianMarkets #AsiaPacificMarket

21

12 Comments

Here at #TheBridge we consult with content creators and leading broadcasters/ streamers on new and innovative commercial routes to funding for TV, film and programming budgets. Where once long form, linear TV led the way, now gaming first-models are leading IP development and funding can be found in brand partners and VC investment before some commissioning editors come on board a project. As the television industry shifts from B2B to D2C there are multiple routes to audiences for content creators. If you are wondering how to bridge this new world, enter The Bridge Report. 🌉 This resource will serve as a compass for navigating the current turbulent waters of commercial growth for TV producers. It's not just data – it's a narrative of proven models working with producers and funding, programmes and commissions and eastern and western content markets. The report will delve into topics such as where and how to find funding for production budgets and how to work in increasingly global markets. The Bridge Report will provide actionable insights that can help you steer your own success through these choppy changes! Please get in touch if you'd like to know more. 💻🤝 Remember, knowledge isn't power until it's applied. #co-development #co-production #co-operation #content #tvproduction #productionindustry #finance #tv

33

4 Comments

“We need to rediscover the origins of journalism which was based on news, to find out something that was not supposed to be found out. Every real journalist is driven by that, not wanting to aggregate information that is out there anyway. Reporting, coming up with something new, unknown, is the essence of the business.” Yeah, ok great. But then, what happens once you've succeeded at that mission and published something new? Thanks to your open funnel sending that info to OpenAI, they can now regurgitate it on their own platform(s). I would love to know if these deals include mandates for a link back to the actual source and limitations around how the content can be reshaped, retold and reshared. Are there any protection preventing your data from third parties who use OpenAI technology to create junk AI sites that create pink slime copies of a copy of a copy. I get publishers may look at the "pact with the devil" as a better alternative to the devil just taking what he wants with no pact. But, we need to be smart here. Our future depends on it. #ai #media #journalism #artificialintelligence #openai #genai

1

The trade journal for the broadcast industry, 'Broadcast Magazine,' has asked our founder and CEO Marc Putman to document his activities for one week, thus offering readers a glimpse behind the scenes of the breadth in which OUTtv Media operates within the European media landscape. Monday: Launch of PRIDEtv on PLUTO Today is an important day for us: we are exclusively launching on Paramount's platform PLUTO, the largest FAST* platform and the fastest-growing branch in our media landscape. Here we are introducing our new offering PRIDEtv, a queer programming channel featuring primarily short format content (shorts, music, documentaries, miniseries) in more than 34 countries. Our partners, Your Channels and Media Choice, have worked hard over the past months to implement this technology and make the launch possible. They have processed hundreds of items, created separate feeds for various European countries, and now we are active for the first time across Latin America. Adding FAST to our portfolio not only offers commercial exploitation opportunities but also a new marketing tool to entice viewers into paid conversion to our premium content. My afternoon starts with a Teams call with our international acquisition team to discuss the results of the Cannes Film Festival. We have already acquired several new films and completed deals on the spot, and for some films, we still need to further negotiate and assess the exploitation potential. Among others, we have acquired the impressive Belgian film AMAL, the Brazilian film Perfect Endings, and the Italian TV series The Club. We focus on queer stories that provide a global cultural representation of our LGBTI community. At 2:00 PM, I have a meeting with the European Commission, our international sales partner Brandadvance, and Paramount. To support our technical launch today, we will organize a Rainbow Brunch on Thursday, June 20th, during PRIDE Day at the Lions Festival in Cannes and formally launch the PRIDEtv channels. Together with the cabinet of the Euro Commissioner for Equality, Mrs. Monti, Ellen, Vice President of Paramount and founder of PLUTO, Olivier, and Chris from Brandadvance, we will discuss the speeches and the panel discussion. We have also invited former Eurovision winner and OUTMedia Award winner Conchita Wurst to musically support the launch. After this meeting, I have planned to prepare a presentation for a new lead in Latin America interested in selling our proposition in this region to local operators. In the evening, I will play a game of padel with my Spanish neighbor to burn off the calories from this workday and clear my mind. De Nederlandse versie is te lezen via: https://lnkd.in/dRxru6na

22

Top six global content providers account for over half 2024 spend. Disney, Comcast, Google, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and Paramount (the top six global content providers in 2024) combined spend more than half of all investment in the global TV and film industry. This amounts to a record $126 billion, according to a report by Ampere Analysis. Together, these companies represent 51% of the total global content market, up from 47% in 2020. This increase in spending has had a significant impact on TV and film production and comes despite recent economic pressures and changing consumer preferences in the industry. Despite announced cuts to its linear and theatrical brands, Disney remains the largest contributor to the media landscape, accounting for 14% of global investment in TV and film content in 2024. This is supported by the full acquisition of Hulu at the start of 2024, which will add an additional $9 billion to Disney's total spend. Spending on original programming has been a priority for these top studios, with more than $56 billion, or 45% of their combined spend, allocated to original content over the past two years. Netflix, the largest investor in global streaming content, has consistently maintained an annual spend of $14.5 billion on both original and acquired programs. This figure is expected to increase in 2025, following Netflix's recent acquisition of sports rights, including NFL games and WWE content, which will broaden its content offering and appeal. Unique among the major players, Google's YouTube has achieved significant market influence by investing in creator partnerships and revenue-sharing programs rather than traditional TV and film production. This approach has made YouTube the third largest contributor to global content spending, as it continues to secure deals with high-profile content creators and expand its global reach. In these challenging times, streaming platforms are holding up quite well. The major players are looking for ways to maintain revenue growth and stabilize their position in the market. Streaming is clearly on its way to wiping out cable TV and taking over its audience. In my last post I talked about the very different ideas platforms have to attract viewers and subscribers. In summary, the streaming market is at a very important moment in history. Content providers are taking their places on the list of major players. Those who get there now should be able to stay at the top for years to come, grow and deliver serious profits to shareholders and employees. Let me know what you think in the comments. You can find a link to the full article in the first comment under this post. Follow my profile to stay up-to-date when it comes to industry news, technology updates, and market analysis. #SzymonKarbowski #StreamVX #videostreaming #Disney #Comcast #YouTube #WarnerBrosDiscovery #Netflix #Paramount #Hulu #report #AmpereAnalysis #investments

19

11 Comments

As our smart TV home screens gravitate to global viewing, it stands to reason that expanding the Geo-Block ban on the audio-visual sector must include expiration of regional licences and introduce one single content licence. Not just for Europe, but for every streaming territory as a whole. Although much can be said about content quotas, they are in fact near-sighted to the fact that technology and consumers are driving this demand because of the content choices audiences are making. Netflix features content in over 60 languages, with 80% of the platform’s users claiming to use subtitles at least once a week. This implies that content providers would be compelled to make movies and TV shows unlicensed in one country but sold in a neighbour available on the same streaming service on the same device in Amsterdam or Sydney. For those interested, 'Streaming Without Borders' is a panel topic at this year's Ad Forum event in Sydney. #CTV 🌏

8

1 Comment

Reclaiming FAST Channel Revenues – The future of television is bright and brimming with potential, thanks to the innovative model of ad-funded streaming TV. This modern approach to broadcasting, known as Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST), is revolutionizing the industry by offering viewers high-quality content at no cost. The key to the success of FAST lies in its ability to bypass the traditional, often inefficient, programmatic ad-trading systems. #broadcasting #broadcast #fastchannels #ott #streaming https://lnkd.in/eT7-2b5u

1